


sheer atrocity

by delimeful



Series: October 2019 Prompts [8]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Captivity, Fear, G/T, Giant Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Giant Slayer!Roman, Jerk Giants, Remus mention, Sizeshifting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-01-29 21:34:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21417016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delimeful/pseuds/delimeful
Summary: Prince Roman has been sent on his ritual journey to slay a giant and prove himself worthy to be a true slayer for his kingdom... or die trying.Too bad his giant has something different in mind.
Series: October 2019 Prompts [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1533644
Comments: 31
Kudos: 252





	1. Day 17: Roasted

Roman sighed, prodding at the small, flickering campfire before him. The flames were doing their best to brighten up the atmosphere, but heavy rain was pouring down outside the little cave he’d taken refuge in, and he couldn’t help but feel fairly dreary. 

Those raindrops were washing away the last leads he had on the giant he was tracking, after all.

He nudged an apple closer to the flames, waiting for it to begin roasting in earnest. What a mighty slayer he made, huddled in a hollow dead-end cave with only his sword for company as the tracks he’d been following for days washed away. He wasn’t even completely sure where he was, with how the landmarks on his map didn’t quite add up with what he was seeing. He’d be renowned as a laughingstock, to be sure. 

This giant was just frustratingly elusive. Most slayers at least had the giant’s frequent attacks on helpless villages to guide their way, but this one seemed to be smarter or at least quieter about picking its prey. Of course Roman would go and choose the only giant that knew how to be stealthy.

He turned the apple, trying to make sure all sides of it were roasted equally. He’d been unsuccessful in all his hunting endeavors as well, meaning he spent almost as much time foraging as he did actually pursuing his giant. He wondered if his brother had already returned from his own initiation voyage.

“I’m sure he’d have something to say if I returned empty-handed. Him and every bard in the land.” Roman sighed, flopping backwards. He began aimlessly tossing and catching a rock. “Noble Prince Roman, the slayer who couldn’t catch a rabbit, let alone a giant.” 

He pitched the rock away towards the back of the cave, listening to it ricochet off the walls with dull thuds. 

Wait. Thuds?

He sat up, curious, just in time to watch in horror as the back wall of the ‘cave’ shifted and pulled away, revealing the overhang for the tunnel it truly was. No wonder his map had been wrong. 

He’d been resting next to a giant this entire time. 

Roman dove for his sword, heart racing as the giant finished sitting up, leveling an unimpressed purple gaze down at him. Before he knew it, there was a voice like thunder in the air.

“You know, I’ve met some truly stupid slayers in my time, but I think you take the cake.” It stretched languidly, like an enormous cat. “I mean, really, throwing a rock at a sleeping giant? Not the brightest move.” 

Roman spluttered, but his mind locked onto one detail. “Sleeping? You can’t be sleeping, you’re-” 

“Big?” The giant asked, raising an eyebrow. He looked Roman’s sword condescendingly. “How unlucky for you, getting tasked to kill a giant who doesn’t make a habit of taking smaller form.” 

“That’s- That’s impossible!” Roman insisted, pointing his sword up at the fiend with a sense of dread. All his teachers had emphasized how important it was to slay a giant before they fully shed their human disguise, or when they were sleeping or otherwise caught unawares. There was no reliable guide for killing one that was already at full size. “You can’t be big all the time, your magic can’t sustain it!”

The giant rubbed at one eye in an oddly human gesture of exhaustion. “Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it all before. All that garbage might be true for the watered-down shifters you’ve met, but you’ll find that I’m a different breed of giant.” 

It reached down with a massive hand, and Roman swung out with his sword on instinct, panic making him sloppy. Before he knew it, his trusty blade had been flicked out of his grip, and he was surrounded by a wall of flesh. He strained against it, hands trapped against his sides. 

“No! Release me!” He cried, wriggling for all he was worth. 

The giant opened its hand slightly, dexterous fingers rolling Roman around like he was some sort of living doll. “Nah, I don’t think so, Princey. You’ve been on my tail trying to kill me for who knows how long, I think I’m justified in a little payback.” 

Roman shuddered, imagining what that might entail. Almost all the stories about giants were focused on how they were man-eaters, vicious creatures with an insatiable appetite for human flesh. He’d be roasted or stewed or devoured whole or chewed up into little bits. His brother had delighted in describing such parts of the stories when they were younger, giving his imagination plenty of ammunition. 

Still, he wouldn’t cry or beg. If he was going to be killed, he’d at least face his death with some semblance of dignity. He owed as much to his kingdom. He glared up at the beast, defiant to the last. “Fine, fiend! Do your worst!”

The giant yawned, treating him to a view of an impossibly large mouth full of unnaturally sharp teeth. Roman felt his heart skip a beat like a frightened rabbit’s. 

“Oh, I will.” It assured Roman, its fingers wrapping around his frame again. He wondered for a moment if it was just going to crush his bones to make bread- a terrible cliche, though it would be just his luck to be killed by an unoriginal giant- and then saw the glass jar in its other hand. “But later.” 

“Wait, no no no! Don’t you _dare-_!” Roman’s shouts were cut short by a yelp as he was roughly deposited into the jar, the lid screwed on tight. He was tossed around briefly as the giant tucked the jar back into a pocket of its heavy cloak and laid back down. 

He banged against the glass, furious and confused, but the giant only dignified that by shifting slightly, knocking him into another slippery glass wall. The giant’s voice resonated around him.

“Quit fussing. I’ll figure out what to do with you after I’ve gotten some actual rest.”


	2. Day 26: Doll

Virgil woke up slowly, relieved to have gotten enough sleep that his headache from earlier had faded. He sat up slowly, cracking his neck, and then tilted his head curiously at a hollow thunking sound from nearby. He looked down, wondering what the hell was making so much noise this early in the morning, and caught sight of the jar in his cloak pocket.

Oh, right. He had a whole new headache to deal with. 

The human was yelling at him, banging his tiny fists against the walls ineffectually and spitting vitriolic human curses for all he was worth. Still, the individual words were muffled pretty effectively by the thick glass of the container, so Virgil had no problem ignoring him as he rose to his feet and shrugged out the kinks in his back. 

He sniffed the air, ignoring the permeating human scent around him to scout out the nearest large water source. He’d slept all night, and if he wanted enough energy to pass through the next town unnoticed, he’d have to hydrate and find something to eat. Enchantments didn’t run on nothing, after all!

Luckily, there was a river nearby, and he meandered through the woods and hills at an easy pace until he could crouch and drink his fill. 

“Let me out, you great gluttonous creature!” 

He pointedly ignored the protests as he wiped his mouth, rising back to his feet. Water had been obtained, now something to eat. He brushed his hands through the trees until he found a hollow trunk; the poor thing had fallen victim to a lightning strike and was well and truly dead. He began to pry strips of it off, easily biting into the tough, burnt bark.

Before long, he’d uprooted the whole thing and left only freshly-overturned dirt in its place. The human had gone quiet at some point, and when Virgil glanced down to check that the little thing hadn’t spontaneously combusted, he was looking up at him with the nervousness of a mouse facing a hungry cat. Virgil rolled his eyes, pulling the jar out of his pocket to look at him better. “Quit it. I’m not going to eat_ you_.”

“And why would I ever believe that, coming from a giant?” Roman sassed, glaring up at him fairly fiercely for someone trying to hide wobbly knees. The human had guts. Virgil was almost impressed.

“Because I’m not in the habit of eating humans, no matter how irritating. Clearly, whatever they’re teaching you slayers is out of date if they haven’t even mentioned natural giants.” 

“There is only one kind of giant! The evil kind!” 

Virgil frowned and flicked the jar in retaliation, knocking Roman back to the bottom of it. The glass echoed with a hollow tone, and the human clutched his head for a moment before glaring up at him again. 

“If you aren’t going to eat me, then what terrible plans have you concocted instead? You must at least grant me that knowledge!” He asked, not moving from where he was laid out flat on his back.

Virgil shrugged. “Dunno. Haven’t really thought that far ahead.” He pushed a few treetops delicately out of the way with his free hand. “I’m not letting you go, ‘cuz you’ll bring back more pests and I’ve got business in these parts for a while longer, I don’t need the added stress of looking over my shoulder for slayers every minute of the day. Besides, I don’t pity you enough to just let you off with a warning.” 

Roman scowled, kicking against the glass petulantly as though Virgil couldn’t see the trembling in his legs. “Just kill me now then, beast! Surely, you can’t intend to venture through the towns ahead with such a burden?” 

“You’d think for a guy in a jar you’d eventually start to understand that you can’t order me to do anything. No accounting for stupidity, I guess.” Virgil lifted the jar up, expression loosening slightly with amusement as Roman scrambled in an odd crabwalk to press against the far wall of it, glaring at him. “Actually, though, I totally can take you into town without a problem. Here, watch.” 

He clasped both hands around the jar despite the tiny prince’s protests, and focused on his size-shifting spell. The smell of ozone split the air, his vision blurring and bones creaking until he snapped back into awareness at a much different angle. A much_ smaller _angle.

He was human-sized, now, including all his garments and gear, which meant that Roman was now splayed out in the bottom of the jar, the size of a doll to any random human child. He grinned smugly, turning the jar to show off the new perspective. “There we go.” 

Roman shot to his feet, pressing his hands against the glass and staring at the huge landscape around them. “I’m… small? H-How-?” 

“I told you.” Virgil wiggled his fingers, sparks weaving between them in a complicated pattern. “I’m much more powerful than a shifter.” 

“No… No, this can’t be happening…” The human sat back down heavily, looking stunned, and Virgil frowned slightly. He looked like he was taking quick, shallow breaths, and his face was pale. 

“Relax.” He commanded, tilting the jar slightly to snap Roman out of it. The human jolted as he slid to one side, looking up at Virgil with wide red eyes. “You might be doll-sized, but as long as you stay in the jar, anyone who wants to get to you has to go through me. And trust me, you’re staying in that jar.” 

“Re- Reassuring.” Roman griped sarcastically, but he did seem to regain some of his previous bravado at the reminder that Virgil wasn’t planning on killing him right away. He climbed back to his feet, pointing at Virgil dramatically. “Whatever… Whatever dastardly plot you have, villain, I will not submit no matter my size!”

Virgil rolled his eyes, tucking the jar back into his cloak as he spotted the town on the horizon. Slayers. Drama queens, every one.

“Whatever you say, Princey.” 


	3. Chapter 3

Roman sighed, listening to the bustle of the market without being able to see a single thing. It felt like the giant had been walking around for hours at this point, and despite the liveliness going on all around him, Roman was stuck looking at the inside of a pocket.

Being kidnapped by a possibly-man-eating giant was _boring._

He sighed, shifting to lay flat on the bottom of the jar and kicking his legs up against the glass. No matter how loud he yelled for aid, the glass and the ruckus of the town made it impossible for anyone but the giant to hear him.

The giant ignored his cries too, which he supposed was better than being punished, but still left him with nothing to focus on but his dry throat and rumbling stomach. Was the giant planning on letting him starve to death in this accursed jar?

The swaying rhythm of the giant’s gait slowed to a halt, making the jar bump against its chest. It had stopped at another market stall, no doubt. Roman shifted to sit up, straining his ears for anything that could help him escape, or at least figure out what the giant was doing there. 

“Did you hear?” The gossipy tone caught Roman’s attention immediately, muffled as it was through the jar. “The Smithson child ran off yesterday, hasn’t been heard from since!” 

“I heard the poor thing was lost to the creatures of the woods. I can only imagine how their parents are managing…” A pitying voice replied. Roman winced in sympathy from where he sat, ear pressed against the glass, and wondered if the giant was listening to the tragedy it and other monsters caused. He hoped so.

“According to the eldest, they ran into the woods on purpose, wouldn’t come back out no matter how he called.” A delicate sniff of disapproval. “At least he had the sense not to go in after them- it would have been too much for the Smiths to bear, losing two children at once right before the harvest.” 

“Are they going to at least form a search party?” the second voice asked. 

Before he could catch an answer, his surroundings began to jolt into motion again, and he toppled over with a shout of frustration. The giant was moving again, quickly now. 

After a moment, the light from outside the pocket grew dimmer, and then giant fingers were pulling the jar up by the lid. Roman fixed his face into a glower by the time he was high enough to meet the giant’s eyes. 

“Still alive in there?” It asked, lips twitching up in a slight smirk. 

Roman glanced around at the empty alley they were in and crossed his arms. “No thanks to you. Though, if you’re planning on killing me through _dehydration,_ you’re doing a wonderful job of it so far.” 

A troubled look crossed the giant’s face for a moment, and then vanished as quick as it had come. “Yeah, yeah, complain to me about it later, Princey. For now, quiet down. I’ve got one more stop on my list, and then it’ll just be me and you again.” 

“Joy,” Roman muttered, shifting his feet to keep balance as the jar was lowered back into the giant’s pocket. “Can’t wait to be alone with a giant, scourge of this land and enemy of my people._ Hooray._” 

He wasted a few minutes grumbling to himself as the giant strode through the town with a purpose in his step, and then perked up when the hollow ring of a doorway bell announced the giant’s entry into a store. 

“Hello, how can I- oh dear.” A friendly voice went high and nervous. “What are you doing here?”

“Get your father, would you?” The giant’s voice rumbled, close enough to roll through Roman like thunder. “We need to have a chat.” 

Surprisingly, the other person didn’t leave right away. “Vee… don’t do anything rash-” 

“This isn’t rash. It’s carefully calculated.” The giant- Vee?- cut him off. “You know where to meet me if this works.” Roman frowned in consternation. How did this stranger know the giant? Did he even know ‘Vee’ was a giant?

“Trust me,” Vee implored after another long moment of silence, and to Roman’s surprise, he heard the sound of footsteps walking away, presumably into the back of the store. This stranger must not know Vee’s true nature, if he actually trusted the giant. 

In the resulting silence, Roman realized suddenly how quiet it was. The store must have been empty, and the walls insulated it from the clamor of the outdoors. The giant had even reminded him to keep quiet before entering.

In other words, if he called out now, he would finally be _heard_.

Roman swallowed down the automatic impulse to shout, reminding himself that he probably only had one shot at this. He had to wait for the perfect moment if he wanted to finally be freed.

Outside the pocket, a new, older voice spoke in a harsh tone. “I told you before, the answer is no.” 

The giant took a step forward, the heart behind Roman racing. What was it so worried about?

“I’m not here to play nice anymore,” the giant said, voice dropped low to a growl. “You’ll hand it over or suffer the consequences.” 

There was a scoff, more distinguishable now that the giant was stalking closer. Roman barely paid any mind to the conversation going on above him, his attention riveted on figuring out the perfect moment to make his move. 

“I’ve got my ways.” The giant took another step closer, and Roman steeled himself, taking a deep breath. 

“HEY! SOMEONE HELP!” he yelled at the top of his lungs. 

There was a beat of silence.

“What- what was that?” the older voice asked, nervously. 

Roman wanted to grab the man by the shoulders and berate him for his inaction. He settled for thumping his fists against the glass. “Here, I’m here! Please, help!” 

A dark chuckle vibrated the glass around him, and then he was being lifted into the light of the store, a slight shake of the jar knocking him off his feet. Vee held the jar up to eye level, and a shudder ran through Roman at the sight of two giant faces looking in at him, warped by the glass. 

“This,” the giant said, tapping the jar with his free hand and making Roman flinch, “is what happened to the last person who wronged me. Cursed to live at the size of a doll forever.”

Roman’s breath caught in his throat. Forever? No, this wasn’t permanent! Was it? 

Outside the jar, the elderly man was staring at him with a face as pale as milk. Vee shifted impatiently. 

“Well? Are you going to give it up or not? … If not, I’m sure Princey here could use some company.” 

“Fine, fine!” the man finally answered, voice shaking. He vanished behind the counter for a moment before reappearing with a small, antique chest. It was shoved towards Vee. “Take it and begone, you witch!” 

“Wait, hold on! Come back! You have to help me!” Roman called, but the man retreated into the back without another glance. Roman groaned, sinking back down to his knees. 

“Nice try, pipsqueak,” Vee said, tone amused as he pulled the jar closer to him. Roman scowled at the giant, though he was grateful that at least it didn’t seem he would be punished for his outburst. 

Wait. Now that he thought about it, his shouting had worked rather well in Vee’s favor, hadn’t it? He gaped.

“Wait a second. You tricked me!” 

Vee snorted, unscrewing the lid of the jar. “Took you long enough.” He dropped something large into the jar, making Roman duck and raise his arms for cover. “Here, for all your hard work.” 

Roman peeked out from behind his arms, and blinked in surprise. A chunk of bread and a small wedge of cheese now sat on the floor of the jar next to him. They were small portions to a human, but compared to his current size, they were huge.

Roman fumed. He hadn’t helped the beast steal from some poor shopkeep for food! He had more honor than that! And more importantly… 

“Wait!” he cried before Vee could screw the lid back into place. “Was what you said true? Am I… Am I really stuck like this forever?” 

“What?” Vee said, confused. “No, I was bluffing. You wouldn’t stay small forever unless I kept this enchantment running forever, and trust me, I am _not_ doing that. Now shut it, we’re getting out of this dump.”

Roman made a vague sound of protest, but his jar was resealed and dropped back into the pocket with little fanfare. He sighed in relief, hope for possible escape returning to him. He couldn’t imagine how hard life would be living at this size forever. Above him, Vee gathered the chest in his arms and strode out of the store, weaving through crowds with the hood of his cloak up. 

Roman managed a truly impressive few minutes before caving and tearing into the bread and cheese. He needed to keep his strength up if he was going to escape, after all.

Surprisingly, the food was soft and fresh in his hands. He’d half-expected the giant to feed him stale prison rations. …He hoped this wasn’t a way of fattening him up like the old tales. He still wasn’t quite sure he believed that Vee wasn’t going to eat him once he outlived his usefulness. 

He was still a giant, after all. 

The light outside had faded to the dimness of twilight, and the sounds of people grew fainter as dirt and brush crunched underfoot. They were back in the woods. 

“What was even in that fancy chest?” Roman asked, growing bored with the silence. 

“None of your business.” 

“I think it rather is my business, since you went and used me as a threat against that man!” Roman huffed. “Honestly, how dare you-“

“Shhh,” Vee suddenly hushed, pressing a palm over the holes in the jar’s lid to quiet him. Roman cut off, curious despite himself about the giant’s sudden silence. 

“Vee?” A familiar voice called out in a low tone, and Vee breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Over here, Pat.” 

Soft, rustling footsteps grew closer, and Roman realized this must be the stranger who had first greeted them in the store. The one who definitely didn’t know ‘Vee’ was a giant. And now was alone in the woods with said giant.

Roman was seized with a sudden fear that the giant was planning to abduct Pat as well, and he shouted with all his might. “RUN AWAY! HE’S A GIANT!” 

There was a beat of silence, and then the sound of a palm against flesh as Vee slapped his palm to his face in resignation. 

“Is that a fairy?” Pat asked, with far too little alarm for Roman’s tastes. 

“If only I was that lucky,” Vee muttered, yanking the jar out of his pocket. “Pat, meet Princey. He’s a very unfortunate giant slayer.” 

“My name is _Roman_!” Roman scowled, feeling put out that he kept yelling with no results. His throat hurt.

“Aww, he’s so cute at this size!” Pat took the jar carefully, peering at him with huge silver eyes. “Hi there, I’m Patton!” 

“I’d say it’s nice to meet you, but you seem to already know you’re consorting with a monster and I’m still stuck in a jar, so it’s really not,” Roman grumbled.

“Hey, don’t be mean! Virgil isn’t a monster, he’s a very kind giant!” Patton frowned at him in disapproval. Roman stared at him flatly.

“I. Am in. A_ jar._” 

“Leave the guy alone, Pat, he’s a _slayer,_” Virgil said, as though that explained everything. “Here, I’ll trade you.” 

He took Roman’s jar out of Patton’s hands and carefully replaced it with the small chest. The man looked down at the chest as though he’d been handed a block of solid gold. For all Roman knew, he had. 

“You… you really managed to get it,” he said, voice soft with awe. He looked up, eyes shiny with unshed tears. “And you’re just… giving it to me?” 

Virgil shifted uncomfortably, averting his eyes. “Of course I am. It’s yours.” 

“Are you sure? Because I’m pretty sure I watched you _extort it_ from the guy running that store,” Roman chimed in, feeling lost. “Did you really help this guy steal from his own father?” 

“Shut it,” Virgil growled in warning, looking like he wanted nothing more than to give Roman a good shake. 

“No, it’s okay,” Patton placed a hand on Virgil’s arm, the chest carefully tucked into his other elbow. He turned those eerie eyes to Roman, but there was no malice in them. “I did ask Virgil to help me take this. My father took it from me after I was born, and he used it as leverage against my mother until the day she passed away. I tried to love my father, I really did, but… my mother spent the rest of her life forced to serve him. I don’t want to live that way ever again.” 

Roman looked away, confused and feeling an odd sense of shame. He was starting to suspect that this wasn’t just some expensive heirloom. 

Patton carefully undid the latch on the chest, prying it open and pulling a thick, glimmering fur coat from it. The chest dropped from his grip with a thud as he stared at it, tears finally bubbling over. In one swift movement, he pulled the fur over his shoulders. 

In the next moment, a snow-white stag stood in his place. It- he?- kicked his legs up in joy, and became a wolf, a fox, a rabbit, a bear, a duck, each transformation flowing sinuously into the next. 

Roman’s jaw dropped. “You’re a _shapeshifter?_” 

“Yes!” Patton cried, returned to his human form. He looked healthier, somehow, his skin less pallid and his eyes brighter. He rushed forwards, wrapping Virgil in a hug with Roman caught in the middle. “Thank you, thank you, _thank you!_” 

To Roman’s surprise, Virgil returned the hug for a heartbeat, what looked like an almost-smile on his face. After a minute, he gently pushed Patton away. “You should go. Get used to being whole again. I’ll see you around?” 

“Yeah! Yeah.” Patton gave him another grin, and then stepped away, glancing down. “Bye, Roman! Be nice to Virgil!” 

Roman squawked. “_I’m_ the one who has to be nice?” 

Patton’s laugh shifted to birdsong, and Roman watched as a snow white dove fluttered out of sight. The two of them lingered like that for a moment, and then Virgil flicked the lid of the jar, peering in casually as he began to walk again. 

“I’m going to get a drink. Still thirsty, Princey?” 

Roman hesitated, but… if Virgil wanted to play gentle giant, who was he to not take advantage of it? He nodded, lifting a hand to his parched throat. 

“Anything to get out of this jar.”


	4. Chapter 4

After a brief break to eat and drink, Virgil was on the move. Again.

Considering dusk was quickly approaching and they’d been traveling or intimidating abusive dads for pretty much the entire day, Roman felt the pace they were setting was a little unreasonable.

He wasn’t the one walking it, sure, but he couldn’t help but wonder. Was this guy always so antsy, or was this a special occasion?

And while he was asking himself questions that he wouldn’t get any answers to, how long was the cast duration of this enchantment?

(More specifically, how much longer was he going to be small enough for beetles to look like dogs?

How much longer before Virgil decided what to do with him for real?)

He hadn’t seen the giant stop to recast, which meant that he’d been burning through a continuous enchantment for hours on end. Signs pointed to his magic reserves being massive. Chilling. 

Roman thumped a foot against the side of the jar that rested against Virgil’s side. “Are we wandering around the woods during twilight for any particular reason, or are you just lost and too embarrassed to admit it? Too used to seeing the trees from a loftier position, perhaps?”

Virgil glanced down at him, as though just recalling he was there. Offended, Roman made a mental note to make more of his internal diatribes to external diatribes. The only thing worse than being a prisoner with an uncertain future was being an_ ignored_ prisoner with an uncertain future.

“Go back to being quiet, I forgot you were annoying for a second.”

“Absolutely not,” Roman huffed, kicking his feet against the glass repeatedly for emphasis. “The moment we see another human I’m going to scream at the top of my lungs.”

“Oh, because that worked so well for you before,” Virgil said, rolling his eyes.

Roman shifted positions, trying to ease a cramp in his leg. “Haven’t you heard? Third time’s the charm, and personally, I have no shortage of charm.”

There was a short pause, and then Virgil ground to a stop, taking a deep breath.

Instantly, Roman stiffened, eyes locked on the face above him. He’d forgotten himself, making jabs as though they weren’t enemies, as though he hadn’t been trapped, threatened, and used by this monster. It was too easy to pretend, when Virgil did things that were almost decent.

Sure enough, Virgil grabbed the top of the jar and lifted it from his pocket to be eye level. Roman shoved his arms out to keep himself stable, avoiding looking at the long drop below him.

“As useful as your bullheadedness was before, I don’t actually want you to scare the daylights out of the person I’m looking for this time.”

“Yes, well, I don’t want to be the size of a newborn chick, so it looks like we’re both dealing with struggles in life,” Roman snapped back, because he’d never known when to keep his mouth shut.

Virgil narrowed his eyes. “I could just muffle your jar, you know. I’m magic; I can do that.”

He could? Roman was sort of surprised he hadn’t done so already.

“But,” he continued with a sigh, “I think this one will probably be easier with your help. I’m not great at putting people at ease.”

“I hadn’t noticed,” Roman snorted, and then jerked as the rest of the sentence sunk in. “Wait, hang on. ‘Put people at ease’? There is no way I’m helping you with any nefarious plots!”

“It’s not nefarious!” Virgil shifted his weight, glancing around impatiently. “And it’s _time sensitive._ Either help me or don’t, I don’t care.”

It couldn’t be that simple, but Roman wasn’t about to pass up a chance to see something other than the interior of a pocket. “Fine, but if I see you doing something evil, I’m not going to stand idly by!” And then, petulantly. “Also, I want out of the jar.”

“As long as you actually use your brain instead of your biases to judge me,” Virgil snarked back, but obligingly pried off the lid and tipped the jar on its side. Rather than pull or tip Roman out, he held his hand to the lip of the opening and waited.

It was almost more nerve wracking to climb into a giant hand willingly, but Roman managed it. The jar was whisked away, and Roman lifted to neck level. He stared blankly.

“Going to get off anytime soon?” Virgil asked, a hint of irritation in his voice. 

“What am I getting _on?_ Your collar bones?” Roman replied incredulously. “Wouldn’t a shoulder be better?”

The hand under him shifted slightly, angling him towards the folds of the cloak where it met the hood. “The fabric has better grip here. You’ll fall off my shoulder if we’re attacked.”

Attacked by _who?_ “Paranoid much?” Roman dallied for a moment longer, but the idea of falling really was an unappealing one, so he climbed up and managed to find a seat amongst the bunched up cloth.

As soon as he was settled, Virgil set off again, and Roman clung tightly, staring out at this strange new perspective of the forest. Weird, but definitely better than the jar.

They moved along in relative silence, Virgil surprisingly light on his feet for a giant. The sun had just begun to sink below the horizon when he finally jerked to a halt.

Roman opened his mouth to complain at the sudden stop, but Virgil’s head was tilted, as though carefully listening. After a moment, he turned to a nearby patch of shrubbery.

“Hey,” he called, voice lacking it’s usual edge. “I can hear you over there.”

There was a long pause, and Roman blinked as the shrubbery began to tremble slightly. There was actually someone in there?

“Easy,” Virgil said, lowering himself into a squat. “I’m not going to hurt you. I can help you find the way out of these woods, if you’d like.” 

After a moment, a small hand pushed part of the bush aside, peering out cautiously at them. Roman’s heart twisted at the kid’s face, smudged with dirt and tear streaks. They couldn’t have been more than eight.

Virgil shifted, and Roman felt a chill go through him, remembering who, or rather _what _he was with. He couldn’t let the giant lure the kid into whatever scheme he was planning.

“There you go,” Virgil coaxed, offering a hand to help the kid stand up. “It must have been scary, stuck out in the woods alone. You did good to stay in one spot.”

Roman bit down on the automatic urge to call out a warning, listening to the way Virgil carefully encouraged the kid to stand up and brush the twigs from their hair. This was important. He had to consider the situation from all angles before making a move.

If Virgil really wanted to abduct a random kid in the woods, he didn’t need to convince them of anything. He’d dealt with a trained slayer as though he was a minor annoyance, a kid wasn’t exactly a challenge. So why was he going to all this trouble?

Roman thought about the soft edges of Virgil’s expression when he gave Patton his coat back. Maybe… it wasn’t a ruse?

“I’m Virgil,” the giant in question said, shaking Roman from his thoughts. “And this is Roman. We’re travelling together.”

Roman startled, not expecting to be introduced. “Uh, salutations!”

The kid stared with wide eyes. “You’re so small!” they blurted, before covering their mouth hurriedly.

Virgil cut in before Roman could correct him. “He’s a pixie. Likes to cause problems on purpose.”

Roman huffed “I do not! Don’t let him fool you, I am a _delight_.”

The kid giggled, and Virgil’s shoulders relaxed slightly. Roman wished he could see his expression.

From there it was second nature to keep up a stream of chatter with the kid about everything from their favorite food (honey on bread) to their stance on frogs (cute but you shouldn’t kiss them). It grew darker and darker as they walked, and after the kid had almost tripped over stray roots thrice in rapid succession, Virgil had crouched and lifted them onto his back with ease.

Before long, the kid was snoring lightly, face smushed against his hood, and there was a surprisingly comfortable silence in the air between them.

Virgil broke it first. “Thanks for not freaking out. I didn’t know you had it in you.”

Roman crossed his arms, ignoring how close he’d come to freaking out. “This doesn’t mean I trust you or anything. We’re still enemies, you’re just. Not as bad as you could’ve been.”

“Yipee,” Virgil deadpanned, shrugging his shoulder under Roman slightly to jostle him. Roman jabbed his elbow in the general direction of Virgil’s neck in retaliation. “Very gracious of you.”

“I certainly won’t be as gracious the next time you pass me off as a pixie,” Roman muttered, prompting a low, half-air laugh from Virgil. He realized belatedly that he’d assumed there would be a next time, and hadn’t been corrected. He wasn’t sure if that was reassuring or not.

What was it about this giant that made Roman feel at ease to speak his mind, even in such a precarious position?

Virgil slowed as they came up on the town again, crouching to gently nudge the kid awake and set them on their own two feet again. “You’re home, kiddo.”

“Don’t go traipsing around in the forest again, y’hear?” Roman added sternly. “Not everything in those woods are as nice as us.”

The kid nodded solemnly, and then grumbled sleepily as Virgil ruffled their hair and pushed them towards the paved path into town.

Once the kid reached the town’s edge, they turned around to peek over their shoulder. The two of them were already well out of sight, waiting until the kid had been safely whisked into the arms of their parents before departing.

Roman waited with bated breath, but despite their deal being over, Virgil seemed to have no intent of removing him from his newfound perch. He sunk deeper into the fabric as they continued to trek on.

For now, he could let himself enjoy this tentative peace.


End file.
